Ubud Itinerary: Best Things To Do And Visit
Welcome to the only Ubud Itinerary you’ll need!
Ubud is one of the charming cities in Bali that attract a myriad of people from all over the world.
The main thing that always comes to mind are the flower baths, floating breakfasts, and drone shots of 20 feet tall gates that you see on Instagram.
While those are all amazing things to see, Ubud is so much more than that.
It is a city full of culture from intricate temples to scrumptious local cuisine and from markets to awe inspiring rice fields, there is something for everyone here.
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How To Get To Ubud From Denpasar Airport?
It is about a 45 minute to an hour ride from the Denpasar airport to Ubud.
Cost: About 300,000 IDR ($20 USD)
Please do not pay more than this!
TAXI
As a warning, you will face a swarm of taxi drivers the moment you leave the gate.
It could be a bit overwhelming because the drivers will start shouting numbers at you, and you will be too busy experiencing culture shock.
The drivers who are front in line will typically give really high numbers and the more you keep walking towards the exit, the lower the price will be to get.
My tip in haggling is always to slash the price in half and keep going lower.
- Always haggle
- Do not accept the high prices
- Ask for the price in advance
- Make sure that they turn on their meter
- If you keep getting high prices, there will be Blue Bird drivers outside that will always turn on their meter
PRIVATE TRANSFER
For a more less stressful option, you can arrange a private transfer ahead of time from the airport through your hotel.
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Ubud Itinerary: Accommodations
Throughout our Southeast Asia trip, we only used hostels and Airbnbs.
The amazing thing about Bali is you can find so many wonderful villas like that one we stayed in: Link to the listing here.
It included breakfast every day, a pool, and a view of the rice terraces.
We only paid $20 per night.
How To Get Around In Ubud?
WALK! WALK! WALK!
Ubud is quite walkable and is such an ideal city where you can relax and have your eat, pray, and love moment.
If you do not have a set itinerary and want to have a chill day, walking around Ubud will lead you to interesting places like the rice paddies, cute shops and restaurants, and you might come across some type of traditional dance performance.
SCOOTER
We personally did not rent a scooter since we were not comfortable driving, but this is always a pretty popular option in Southeast Asia.
PRIVATE TAXI DRIVER
We had a private taxi driver for 2 out of our 4 days stay.
I cannot for the life of me remember how we got in touch with our driver.
His name Gede Dedik on Facebook.
Most of the time, you are able to get connected to local private drivers through a friend, facebook groups, word of mouth, or once you are in Ubud.
A huge part of our itinerary was created by Gede.
He gave recommendations on what to see and where to go, and we negotiated a price and went with it.
SHUTTLE BUS
This is also another option and you will see signs all over Ubud and Bali in general for different prices to go to different cities and islands.
When To Visit Ubud?
People and other bloggers will always recommend the summer months which is from May to October.
Personally, it is nice to travel during the rainy season because there are less tourists and therefore, less wait times for any site seeing.
I recommend reading my other blog post: Southeast Asia Tips and Itineraries
I talk in detail about when I prefer to travel and why.
4 Days In Ubud Itinerary Overview
- Day 1: Spa Day, check out the local markets, enjoy the villa
- Day 2: Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek, Pura Tirta Empul, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, Bali Swing, Coffee Tasting
- Day 3: Letpuyang Temple, Tirta Gangga Water Palace, Virgin Beach
- Day 4: (Open Day) Go to other options
If you do not have 4 days, check out some of these tours:
Get A Massage and Flower Bath
When building my Ubud Itinerary, I wanted to allot some time relaxing and pampering.
Did you even go to Bali or Ubud if you don’t get a massage and bathe in a beautiful tub full of flowers?
There are so many options in Ubud, and you will see signs everywhere you go.
This is the particular one that we went to: Juwuk Manis Spa
It was a bit cheaper compared to some of the famous ones that are all over Instagram.
Shopping At Markets
You will literally find markets everywhere you go in Ubud.
Local vendors typically sell textiles, sarongs, handwoven bags, wooden boxes, clothing, art, jewelry and other souvenirs.
The most popular markets in Ubud are:
- Ubud Market
- Sukawati Art Market
Enjoy Your Villa
One the most unique things about Bali are the villas.
You can stay in beautiful mansion like villas in Ubud for a fraction of the price of what you pay for a regular hotel in countries like the United States.
Most villas include private pools, breakfast, and activities within the facility.
If you get lucky like us, our villa (that I mentioned in the accommodations section above) overlooked rice terraces.
Tegalalang Rice Terrace
The Tegalalang Rice Terrace is probably one of the most iconic sites in this Ubud itinerary.
You can easily spend at least two hours here walking, picture taking, trying out the swings, and relaxing.
It is a Bali Providence UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the main restaurant, there is a glass platform that allows you to see the rice fields beneath you and a panoramic view of the all the greenery.
Hours: 7am to 6pm.
Bali Swings
There are several Bali Swings, but the one that we saw were the 2 swings at Tegalalang.
For safety, they strap you with a harness, and you will get a beautiful view of the rice terraces with an added feeling of flying.
You will be required to pay an additional 150,000 IDR ($10 per person), but once you pay this you get access to all the other touristy picture taking set ups like the birds nests.
There are various Bali Swings in Ubud like the Official Bali Swing site which houses 15 different swings and Bali nests (which is the most popular among travelers).
The entrance fee costs $35.
We did not go here since there were already swings at the Tegalalang Rice Terrace.
Coffee and Tea Tasting- Tegalalang Rice Terrace
You can taste 14 different kinds of coffee and tea within Telagalalang.
If you pay a little bit extra, you can also have the famous Luwak coffee.
What is Luwak Coffee you ask?
Luwak coffee (or coffee luwak) is made from coffee cherries that is partially digested by Asian palm civets.
Yes, apparently the coffee gets fermented through the digestive system of this little animal.
It takes the meaning out of coffee poops to a whole new level.
Hike An Active Volcano
Why not hike an active volcano?
Most people start doing the ascent around 4 am and get to the peak of Mount Batur right before sunrise.
It’s a challenging but totally doable hike.
Plus, you get the bragging rights of having hiked an active volcano.
Read my full review here: Mt. Batur Sunrise Hike Review
If you have a lot of time, you could really just do this trek and relax the rest of the day, but we ended up doing other activities after.
Pura Tirta Empul (Holy Springs Water Temple)
The Pura Tirta Empul is one of my favorite things in this Ubud itinerary.
You can experience a traditional Balinese water purification in this Water Temple.
In the Balinese Hindu tradition, the fresh spring water here is considered holy.
Locals and tourists bathe here for the purpose of cleaning their souls and ward off any bad spirits.
Like all other sacred places, please be respectful and dress modestly.
While you can bring your own sarong, you can also rent and change on site.
There are lockers where you can store your belongings.
Fee: 50,000 IDR ($10 USD)
When you get to the purification pool, you have to dip your head under each waterspout starting from the left all the way to the last spout.
Since there is an influx of tourists that come here, you can easily follow what everyone is doing to be respectful of the process.
The water is freezing cold and there are fish in the water!
Nevertheless, a mind opening and refreshing experience.
Letpuyang Temple
The famous gateway to heaven spot.
Note that depending on the weather or if the clouds are positioned just right in your favor, you might be able to have the breathtaking Mount Agung in the background.
This is actually 2 hours from Ubud, but our private driver recommended that we go here.
No entrance fee, but they recommend they you donate $5-$10 per person.
Since this is a template, please dress modestly and bring a sarong.
Sarongs are also available for rent.
Most people come here because they think that there’s an actual pond/lake that causes the reflection, but it is all a lie!
Due to the amount of people who visit, there is actually a queue to take pictures and a designated local photographer who will take a picture for you using your own camera or phone (for a small tip).
The local photographer places a mirror under your phone or camera lens to give the water reflection effect.
Sine there can sometimes be a long line, the photographer will ask you to do about 10 poses, and they just keep snapping shots.
I swear we probably ended up with 50+ photos here.
Tirta Gangga (Water from the Ganges) Water Palace
Calling all fish lovers!
My husband loves fish like no other and we absolutely loved the Tirta Gangga.
Entrance fee: 30,000 IDR ($2 USD)
Fish Food: 5,000 IDR per bag (30 cents), used 2-3 bags
The Tirta Gannga Water Palace is an intricate open garden maze of pools and fountains.
The famous steppingstones with the 11-tier fountain are located here where you can take photos while feeding the all the fish.
We ate at the restaurant here.
If you brought your swimsuits, you could actually go for a quick swim.
Virgin Beach (White Sand Beach)
A hidden gem in Ubud on the east side of Bali is Virgin beach.
What a better way to end this day in your Ubud itinerary on a White Sand Beach.
If you are looking for a beach that is not crowded and has big waves, this is the place.
You can rent out beach chairs and order food at the restaurants nearby.
Eat At A Warung
The term warung means family-owned small store, restaurant, or a café.
The best part about a warung is that the meals are typically no more than $5.
We ate at a warung as much as possible since we knew that it would be authentic and inexpensive.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a specific warung because we just picked whichever we pass or whenever we see a sign in a small alley.
Where Goes Rose has a great blog post about warungs in Bali. Click here.
Other Activities To Add To Your Ubud Itinerary
- Ubud Monkey Forest
- Yoga
- Balinese Cooking class
- Campuhan Ridge Walk
- Head to another city or island. I recommend going to the Gili Islands
I hope this Ubud itinerary helped you with your planning!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Whatever you end up doing will be amazing.
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